Winding machine



June 16, 1942. J, AB BQTT 2,286,189

WINDING MACHINE Filed Aug. 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 menk7 i zwarmz 55025.

E. J. ABBOTT WINDING MACHINE June 16; 1942.

Filed Aug. 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 16 1942 Edward J. Abbott, Wilton,-

k. 11., assignor to Abbott Machine Company, Wilton, N. E, a corporation of New Hampshire Application Au in,- 1940, Serial No. 349,104

This invention relates to winding machines and has for its principal object to provide an improved mechanism for guiding the yarn on its way from the supply bobbin to the winding package. More particularly the invention providesv improved mechanism to control the ballooning action of the yarn between the supply bobbin and the yarn guide such as'a tension device to which the yarn is delivered. A further object is to provide such improved balloon controlling mechanism in combination with replenishing mechanism, as for example an automatic bobbin feeding magazine, and to provide for automatically removing the balloon controlling mechanism from interference with the operation of the replenishing mechanism, and in the case where the replenishing mechanismis a bobbin feeding magazine, removing the balloon controlling device from the path of delivery of a fresh bobbin supplied to the winding'unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism adapted to operate on the several winding units of a multiple unit winding machine in succession to cause their balloon controlling mechanism to move out of operative position and then back into operative position.

Other objects of invention and features of ad vantage and utility will be apparent from this specification and its drawings wherein the invention is explained by way of example.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the frame work and part of the automatic head of an automatic travelling spindle winder showing also a .part of the lower portion of one winding unit;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one end portion of the upper track of the machine of Fig. i;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the track of Fig. 1 showing particularly two cams adapted to operate in connection with the balloon controlling mechanisms of the travelling winding units; and i Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontalsectional view on the line ll of Fig. 1,; showing the balloon-controlling device andassociated parts.

The automatic winding machine may for example be provided with continuous upper and lower tracks, of which the upper track is indicated at H, and the winding units (a portion of one unit being indicated at I! in Fig. 1) may be conveyed around these continuous tracks by a suitable chain conveyor mechanism, all substantially as explained in the United States patent of Edward J. Abbott and Joseph E. Ring, No. 2,177,763, dated October 31, 1939.

Further as explained in said patent the machine may be provided with a rotary automatic head including a bobbin magazine and a knotter, a fragment of such head being indicated at H in Fig. l, the general function of the automatic head being to replenish the travelling winding units in succession as they pass the magazine by insuring that each unit has an unbroken yarn supply united with its winding package. Preferably as in said patent the magazine is provided with a series of bobbin compartments it each having a pivoted bottom l8 adapted to open at the bobbin discharging position and release the bobbin to a vertically pivoted chute ll, the bottom of the chute being directed to discharge the tied-in bobbin 2i to the bobbin peg 22 of the winding unit.

As in said patent, each of the winding preferably carries on its cover plate 25 a tension device composed essentially of a pair of discs 26 yieldingly urged toward each other so as frictionally to engage the yarn running therebetween on its way to the winding package. k

In furtherance of high speed operation of the machine it is preferred to provide a balloon controlling mechanism on each winding unit between the unwinding bobbin 2| and the tension device 28. In the absence of such balloon controlling device and with the bobbin located fairly close to the tension device the tendency is for the thread to form a single balloon extending fromits point of unwinding to the tension device. In some cases this single balloon fails to clear the unwinding bobbin when the unwinding is occurring at the base of the bobbin, with a consequent tendency for the bobbin to sluii. I find that by locating a balloon controlling device in. the form of a ring slightly above the tip of the bobbin the the tension imparted to the-yarn by the tension= discs It, the two balloons, one above and onebelow the balloon controlling device, also impart tension to the yarn.

The balloon controlling device 30 preferably takes the form shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of an open ring or pigtail ii of approximately one inch inside diameter, located duringnormal winding in' thefullline position of Fig. 1 approximately onehalfinchabovethetipofthebobbmtherebeing,

a normal full line position of Fig. 1 at the time the new bobbin was delivered by the chute ll of the replenishing mechanism it would interfere with such delivery. The machine is equipped with mechanism for removing the ring II from the path of the bobbin being delivered to the bobbin-holding P of the winding unit, and for subsequently returning the ring to its normal positlon near the tip of the bobbin.

As shown in Fig. 1, the crank 32 has secured thereto a further crank arm 35 in the form of a cam follower. Then as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, there is secured beneath the upper track II a stationary cam 31 extending through the part of the path of the winding units where the magazine It operates to deliver a new bobbin. Contact of the cam 31 with, the cam follower It swings the crank 32 and ring 3! to the dotted line position of Fig. 1 well out of the way of the bobbin being delivered. when the winding unit reaches the end of cam 31, travelling in the direction of the arrow :1: of Fig. 2, the cam follower 35 leaves the cam and allows the ring Ii to return to its normal level shown in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that the opening II in the ring it permits the yarn to be drawn into the ring by the tension to which the yarn is subiected as soon as the winding package of the unit begins to be driven.

The normal full-speed winding of the yarn is resumed again on each winding unit when it reaches a point on the opposite side of the track after passing the semi-circular end of the machine. It is desirable to cause the pigtail ii to descend into normal position while the yarn is h under the tensionof winding, so as to insure that the yarn will-be threaded into the pigtail.

Accordingly the cam I'I might be extended around the end of the machine in the direction of arrow :r and along the straight part of the'track to a point where the winding units have resumed their .full speed of winding. However, it is easier to terminate cam 31 part way around the end of the machine and to provide, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3, a further similancam 31 located in the region where full-speed winding is resumed. Thus on each unit, when winding has begun, the pigtail 3| is lowered into operative position and the yarn immediately threads into the pigtail.

I claim:

1.' A winding machine having therein a holder for an unwinding bobbin, aballoon controlling device normally'located near the tip of the bobbin and defining a guide for the unwinding yarn. replenishing means for the winding unit, and

means for automatically causing the balloon controlling device to occupy another position during the operation of the replenishing means.

2. A'winding machine having therein a holder for an unwinding bobbin, a balloon controlling device normally'located near thetip. of the bobbin and defining a guide for the unwinding yarn, a bobbin magazine adapted to deliver'a fresh bobbin to the holder, and means for automatically causing the balloon controlling device to occupy another position during the delivery of the fresh bobbin to the'holder.

3. A multiple-unit winding machine having therein a plurality of winding units each including a holder for an unwinding bobbin, a balloon controlling device normally located near the tip of the bobbin and defining a guide for themwinding yarn, and means adapted to act on the winding units in succession to holdthe balloon controlling device out-of its normal position.

4. A multiple-unit winding machine havin therein a plurality of winding units 'each including a holder for an unwinding bobbin, a balloon controlling device normally located near the tip of the bobbin and defining a guide for 'the unwinding yarn, means adapted to act on the windin units in succession to hold the balloon cont oiling device out of its normal position, and means for delivering bobbins to the bobbin holders of the winding units while their balloon con-' trolling devices are thus held.

5. A multiple traveling unit winding machine having therein a plurality of traveling winding units and replenishing means therefor and past which the units travel, each unit having thereon a holder for an unwinding'supply bobbin and a balloon-controlling device normally located near' the tip of the bobbin, in combination with means for acting on the several balloon-controlling devices to remove them from the field of operation of the replenishing means.

8; A multiple traveling unit winding machine having therein a plurality of traveling winding units and replenishing means, therefor and past which the units travel, each unit having thereon a holder for an unwinding supply bobbin and a balloon-controlling device normally located near the tip of the bobbin, in combination with a cam disposed along the path of travel of the'units for moving the balloon-controlling device out of the field of operation of the replenishing means.'

7. A multiple traveling unit winding machine of the type in which winding is suspended during a part of the path of travel and subsequently resumed, and replenishing mechanism acts on the several winding units during the period of suspension of winding, each unit of the-machine having thereon aholder for an unwinding supply bobbin and a balloon-controlling device normally located near the tip of the bobbin, in combination with means for holding the several balloon-controlling devices out of theirnormal positions while they ,move past the replenishing mechanism'and means for restoring them to their normal positions after resumption of winding.

EDWARD J. ABBOTT. 

